A collection of essays exploring the future of literary studies by focusing on the relationship between literary theory, philosophy, and cultural studies. The essays aim to break the boundaries separating philosophy and literature.

In Crossing the Next Meridian, Wilkinson explains to a general audience some of the core problems that face the American West, both now and in the years to come. An expert on federal public lands, Native American issues, and the West's arcane water laws, Wilkinson looks at the outmoded ideas that pervade land use and resource allocation. He argues that significant reform of Western law is needed to combat environmental decline and heal splintered communities. Interweaving legal history with examples of present-day consequences, both intended and unintended, Wilkinson traces the origins and development of Western laws and regulations. He relates stories of Westerners who face these issues on a day-to-day basis and discusses what can and should be done to bring government policies in line with the reality of twentieth-century American life. His examination seeks a middle ground between those who champion unrestricted growth and those who advocate complete preservation.

The Welsh Affairs Committee considers the impact of the Severn Crossings Toll on the economy of South Wales and beyond. The Severn Crossings are seen as a vital link for the people and business located in South Wales and beyond. In the Committee's view, while the Crossings, currently managed by Severn River Crossings Plc, bring many valuable benefits including reduced journey times and improved access to customers and suppliers, there is a perception that the high cost of the toll represents a barrier to business. The Committee found that much evidence about the toll's impact is anecdotal and recommends that empirical evidence should be gathered about the economic impact of the toll on both sides of the border. The report is also critical that the inflexibility of the Severn Crossings Act does not allow the toll to be reduced without the taxpayer bearing the cost and is disappointed that it has not proved possible for the Toll to be frozen for 2011. The report concludes that the end of the concession projected for 2017, provides an opportunity to re-examine the pricing policy for the Severn Crossings. The Committee argues that once the bridge returns to public ownership and its current debt is paid off, the cost of maintenance and toll operation will be a fraction of the current monies raised by the toll charges and concludes that there is a strong case for significantly reducing the cost of the toll.

2012: Crossing the Bridge to the Future is an engaging personal narrative through the author’s apprenticeship with master astrologer William Lonsdale who teaches him how to access a source of great power and creativity buried within the human soul. The book begins in August 1987 on the slopes of Mount Shasta in Northern California as Borax witnesses the Harmonic Convergence, a spiritual and astrological event sparking a 26-year countdown to 2012, the year that marks the “end of history” in the Mayan calendar. Signs indicate that a “major energy shift” is occurring, a turning point in Earth’s collective karma powerful enough to change the global perspective of humankind. Borax’s mountaintop experiences compel him to seek solutions to his personal turmoil. He meets Lonsdale and together they launch a mystery school to study how the twenty-five-year period between 1987 and 2012 can be used for a cosmic purging of negativity to release humanity’s core forces and restore universal balance. En route, Borax and his fellow students discover truths about life after death, karma, reincarnation, past lives, human evolution, and the purpose of our existence on earth. In the tradition of The Teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda’s tales of his shamanic master, 2012: Crossing the Bridge to the Future is a gripping sorcerer’s apprentice story driven by mystical forces, encouraging readers to expand their everyday awareness and challenge their fundamental beliefs about their place in the universe.